FAQs

As a general rule, researchers who have not reached 46 years of age on the closing date of the call, of any nationality, and who have been carrying out their research in Spain for at least 3 years.

Candidates may exceed the age limit of 46 if they have temporarily interrupted their careers due to the birth or adoption of children and their care during the first months of life. These interruptions must be proven with documentation.

Yes, candidates must be affiliated with both public and private Spanish universities, hospitals, or research centres of renowned prestige.

All activities that can be accredited through a contract, grant, official qualification, or other academic and work relations are considered relevant, if they include research as their subject. To mention just a few, these activities include studying doctorate and post-doctorate degrees, as well as research contracts or university contracts with a part-time dedication to research.

No, candidates may work on broader research topics, but their contributions to food, nutrition, and health must be evident. The project submitted for the award must specifically address these areas.

No, candidates must choose only one of the categories. If the research project is in the preclinical phase, the category is defined by the candidate’s research career in this field, and more specifically by the longer-term goals of the line of research in which the project presented to these Awards is included.

Yes, candidates may reapply by submitting all the required documentation outlined in the guidelines, duly updated. To retrieve their previous information, they must access the “Private Awards Area” on the Smartsimple platform through our website using the same login credentials to locate their previous application.

Applications must be submitted through the Smartsimple platform, accessible via our web. On this page, you will find the drop-down tab “Apply for the Awards”. Once inside:

• First-time applicants: You must register on the SmartSimple platform. To do so, click on “Register here” and complete the registration form. Once registered, you must fill out the application form and attach the required documentation: a description of the research project, the candidate’s Abridged Standardized Curriculum Vitae (ACV), and at least one letter of support.
• Returning applicants: If you have registered in previous editions, you only need to complete the application form with the appropriately updated documentation. To do so, click on “Awards Private Area” to access your personal account using your existing login credentials.

On the Smartsimple platform, you must register as a “Solicitante independiente”. Once registered, access the Research Awards Jesús Serra 2026 call and begin your application by filling out the required fields. Remember to save your username and password so you can return to your application and complete it later. You can also find the link on our website.

To log back into the platform and complete your application in SmartSimple, please visit our website and click on the drop-down tab “Submit your application for the Research Awards”. Then, click on “Awards Private Area”, where you can log into your account using your credentials to finish or update your application.

Applications can be submitted from March 10th to April 28th, 2026, at 2:00 PM CET.

To submit your research project, you must complete a document that will be available for download on the application platform, both in Word and editable PDF format. However, the document must be submitted in PDF format.
This document includes required fields in which you must:

• Personal data (First name, last name, and affiliated institution)
• Letter of support information (First name, last name, position, and institution of the endorser)
• Research milestones (3-5 relevant publications in your career and 3-5 relevant publications in the field of food, nutrition, and health)
• Experience description (contributions to research in food, nutrition, and health)
  Research project (title, category, and keywords) including:
  • Non-specialist summary
  • Project description (objectives, research team, reference to relevant previous work/results, methodology, planned activities, and expected results)
  • Innovative features of the project
  • Social impact and benefits of the project
  • International scope and future of the research
  • Use of the grant funds

Each section will have a maximum character limit (excluding spaces) indicated in the document for each section.

Abbreviated Standardized Curriculum Vitae (CVA) must be submitted, reflecting information on the candidate’s education, experience, and career, including leadership of projects or workgroups, stays abroad, and the most relevant publications, H-index, teaching and/or clinical responsibilities, awards received, contributions to conferences, the level of innovation in the research, knowledge transfer activities, as well as other possible merits. It is required to report the author’s impact and contribution in the different publications and projects, or at least in the most relevant ones.

There is no mandatory page limit for the ACV. If any information required by the Awards’ rules does not fit within the ACV, it may be included as an additional attachment in the “Other files” section of the application form.

Yes, candidates must submit at least one letter of endorsement from their project supervisors or other recognised professionals affiliated with universities, hospitals, or research centres in Spain. Additional letters may also be provided by professionals from international organisations endorsing the candidate’s career and/or international and social impact.

No, it is not necessary. As indicated in the terms and conditions of the Awards, the ACV must include the URL to access the full reference (through PubMed, journal, DOI, etc.) so that the jury can quickly access it.

In general, it is not necessary to attach a copy of official qualifications, proof of stays or other merits or acknowledgments. However, we recommend including links to relevant documents or websites whenever possible. The jury reserves the right to check any of these merits, either by contacting the candidate and/or the awarding or host institutions.

Applications can be completed and submitted in both Spanish and English.

Yes, Fundación Occident will confirm receipt of your application via email.

The call includes two categories: basic research and clinical research, each with a €50,000 gross award. The prize must be used for research purposes.

The prize can be awarded directly to the winning candidate or to their institution, as defined by the recipient when accepting the award. Taxation will depend on the beneficiary’s entity and tax residence. It is recommended to consult a financial advisor for further details.

The prize money must be used for research and any costs related to the direct implementation of the project, including, but not limited to, personnel costs and the purchase or rental of materials and equipment, as well as the presentation of results at conferences and other scientific events. Indirect costs are not funded.

Yes, in the days following the Jury’s decision, Fundación Occident will notify all candidates regarding the outcome of their application.